Andean Drug Warhttp://stopthedrugwar.org/topics/drug_war_issues/source_countries/andean_drug_war
enChronicle AM: DEA Kratom Ban Retreat, France's First Supervised Injection Site, More... (10/12/16)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2016/oct/12/chronicle_am_dea_kratom_ban_retr
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<p>A new Pew poll has support for marijuana legalization at 57% nationwide, the DEA is forced to back away from its kratom ban, France opens its first supervised injection site, and more.</p><p>[image:1 align:right caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/10/12/support-for-marijuana-legalization-continues-to-rise/" target="_blank">New National Poll Has Solid Majority Support for Legalization</a>. A new Pew Research Center poll released today has support for marijuana legalization nationwide at 57%, with 37% opposed. A recent Gallup poll had it at 58%. Pew says the numbers show that public opinion on the issue has flipped in the past decade. In 2006, only 32% supported legalization, with 60% opposed.</p><p><a href="http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/health/2016/10/11/medical-pot-oversight-panel-meet/91888856/" target="_blank">Delaware Legislator Vows to File Legalization Bill Next Year</a>. State Sen. Margaret Rose Henry (D), the Senate majority whip, said she will introduce a pot legalization bill in January. &quot;It&#39;s certainly being considered. It&#39;s going to be an uphill battle,&quot; Henry said Tuesday during a meeting of the state Medical Marijuana Act Oversight Committee. &quot;But it&#39;s time, quite frankly. It&#39;s time to certainly look at it.&quot;</p><p><a href="http://thejointblog.com/nevadas-labor-union-legalize-cannabis" target="_blank">Nevada&#39;s Largest Labor Union Endorses Legalization Initiative</a>. Culinary Union Local 226, the largest labor union in the state, is getting behind the <a href="https://www.regulatemarijuanainnevada.org/question2/" target="_blank">Question 2</a> legalization initiative. The union represents some 60,000 workers in the Silver State.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana</strong></p><p><a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/florida-voters-set-legalize-medical-marijuana-survey-203925893.html" target="_blank">Florida Poll Has Initiative With Strong Lead</a>. A new poll from the Public Opinion Research Laboratory at the University of North Florida has more than three-out-four likely voters supporting the <a href="http://www.unitedforcare.org/ballot_language" target="_blank">Question 2</a> medical marijuana initiative. The poll had support at 77%. The initiative needs 60% to win because it is a constitutional amendment.</p><p><strong>Kratom</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/2016/10/unprecedented-move-drug-enforcement-administration-withdraws-emergency-kratom-ban" target="_blank">In Unprecedented Move, DEA Backs Away from Kratom Ban -- At Least for Now</a>. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/10/13/2016-24659/schedules-of-controlled-substances-temporary-placement-of-mitragynine-and-7-hydroxymitragynine-into" target="_blank">posted a notice</a> in the Federal Register stating that it is withdrawing its plans to ban kratom using emergency scheduling powers. The DEA instead is opening a public comment period ending December 1st. The official notice indicates that comments received by the DEA will be considered -- along with formal input from the Food and Drug Administration -- before a determination is made about scheduling kratom. The <a href="http://www.drugpolicy.org/blog/why-kratoms-getting-banned-and-how-we-can-stop-drug-war-madness" target="_blank">DEA&#39;s proposed ban on kratom</a>, a medicinal plant used for millennia in Southeast Asia and currently by millions in the US, was anticipated to go in effect as early as September 30. The DEA retreat came amidst enormous pressure on the agency from the public and lawmakers to halt the ban.</p><p><strong>International </strong></p><p><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-drugs-injectionroom-idUSKCN12B1KF" target="_blank">France&#39;s First Supervised Injection Site is Open for Business</a>. France has now joined a growing list of European countries that operate supervised injection facilities for drug users. After the Socialist government pushed through legislation allowing them last year, the first one in France opened Tuesday near Paris&#39;s Gare du Nord train station.</p><p><a href="http://www.insightcrime.org/news-briefs/peru-renews-military-operations-in-vraem-coca-hub" target="_blank">Peru Renews Military Operations in Key Coca Growing Area</a>. The Peruvian government announced last week that it is declaring a 60-day state of emergency in parts of the Valleys of the Apurimac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers (VRAEM), a key coca producing region. The area had been under a state of emergency for 30 years until last year, when the government ended it after capturing several Shining Path operatives. But now, the military is back with twin briefs to fight drug trafficking and &quot;narcoterrorism.&quot;</p><p><a href="https://www.caymancompass.com/2016/10/10/lawmakers-pass-bill-to-legalize-medicinal-cannabis-oil/" target="_blank">Cayman Island Lawmakers Approve Medical Marijuana Bill</a>.Lawmakers in the Caribbean island nation voted Monday to legalize the use of CBD cannabis oil for medicinal purposes. The measure still faces one final vote, and could require some tweaking before such medicines become available. No one in the Cayman Islands produces CBD cannabis oil, and it could be problematic to try to import it from the US because of federal marijuana prohibition.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2016/oct/12/chronicle_am_dea_kratom_ban_retr#comments2016Andean Drug WarCocaCocaineCongressDEADrug Trade Funding TerroristsKratomMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaNews BriefPollingSafe Injection SitesState & Local LegislaturesWed, 12 Oct 2016 20:52:07 +0000psmith32125 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: AZ & CA MJ Polls, AR & OK MedMJ Lawsuits; Filipino Massacre Continues; More... (9/7/16)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2016/sep/07/chronicle_am_az_ca_mj_polls_ar_o
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<p>New polls have good news for Arizona pot legalizers and better news for California ones, more lawsuits get filed over Arkansas and Oklahoma medical marijuana initiatives, the Philippines&#39; murderous drug war continues apace, the Indonesian drug fighters want to imitate it, and more.</p><p>[image:1 align:right caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/09/07/poll-half-want-see-marijuana-legalized-arizona/89778892/" target="_blank">Arizona Poll Has Legalization Initiative Leading</a>. An Arizona Republic/Morrison/Cronkite poll has the <a href="https://www.regulatemarijuanainarizona.org/prop205/" target="_blank">Prop 205</a> legalization initiative favored by 50% of registered voters, with 40% opposed and 10% undecided. A 10-point lead is good, but getting over 50% would be better. &quot;The proposal starts out ahead... but that doesn&#39;t mean it ends up that way after a campaign,&quot; said public-opinion pollster Mike O&#39;Neil, who was not involved in the survey. &quot;It reflects an evolving attitude on marijuana throughout the entire country, and we&#39;re part of that. People are no longer buying that this is just a horrible thing.&quot;</p><p><a href="http://www.medicalmarijuanainc.com/majority-californians-favor-marijuana-initiative-poll-finds/" target="_blank">California Poll Finds Strong Majority for Legalization Initiative</a>. A new poll from the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley has support for the <a href="http://www.legalizeca2016.com/about" target="_blank">Prop 64</a> legalization initiative at 63.8%. That&#39;s in line with other recent polls that have shown the initiative apparently cruising toward victory. The strongest support came from Democrats (73.8%), African Americans (71.9%), Latinos (69.3%), and independents (62.2%).</p><p><a href="http://www.manchesterjournal.com/latestnews/ci_30334943/legislative-committee-look-at-marijuana-ahead-2017-session" target="_blank">Vermont Legislative Committee Will Examine Marijuana Policy Ahead of Next Year&#39;s Session</a>. State Sen. Dick Sears (D-Bennington) said Tuesday the Joint Legislative Justice Oversight Committee will hold extra meetings this year to examine various issues around marijuana policy, including medical marijuana. Vermont was touted as likely to be the first state to legalize marijuana through the legislative process, but a bill this year passed the Senate, only to see it killed in the House. &quot;My hope is that the House will take a look at it this time and work on a bill,&quot; he said.</p><p><a href="http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2016/09/06/nashville-marijuana-decriminalization-effort-advances-metro-council/89909796/" target="_blank">Nashville Takes Another Step Toward Decriminalization</a>. The Nashville city council has approved a marijuana decriminalization ordinance for a second time. It still has one more reading before it passes the council. The measure would give police the option of charging people caught with a half-ounce or less with a civil penalty instead of a misdemeanor.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana</strong></p><p><a href="http://thejointblog.com/american-legion-remove-cannabis-schedule-1-drug" target="_blank">American Legion Calls for Marijuana to Be Rescheduled</a>. The nation&#39;s largest veterans&#39; organization has <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/323168449/American-Legion-Marijuana-Resolution" target="_blank">passed a resolution</a> calling on the federal government to move marijuana off of Schedule I. The resolutions calls on the government &quot;amend legislation to remove marijuana from schedule I and reclassify it in a category that, at a minimum will recognize cannabis as a drug with potential medical value.&quot; The resolution, which also calls on the DEA to &quot;license privately-funded medical marijuana production operations in the United States to enable safe and efficient cannabis drug development research,&quot; was approved at the America Legion annual meeting in Cincinnati at the end of August.</p><p><a href="http://www.thecannabist.co/2016/09/06/arkansas-medical-marijuana-lawsuit/62520/" target="_blank">Arkansas Medical Marijuana Foes File Lawsuit to Block Second Initiative</a>. Arkansans Against Legalized Marijuana has filed a lawsuit seeking to disqualify the <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Arkansas_Medical_Marijuana,_Issue_6_(2016)" target="_blank">Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment</a> from the November ballot. The same group, which includes the state Chamber of Commerce and Farm Bureau, earlier filed a similar suit against a competing initiative, the <a href="http://www.arcompassion.com/read_the_amca" target="_blank">Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act</a>. The lawsuits claim ballot titles and descriptions are deceptive. The Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act is also the target of another lawsuit challenging its handling of reporting by canvassers.</p><p><a href="http://www.koco.com/news/attorney-sues-attorney-general-over-medical-marijuana-petition/41535612" target="_blank">Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Initiative Campaigns Files Lawsuit Over Rewrite of Ballot Language</a>. Oklahomans for Health, the group behind the <a href="https://oklahomansforhealth.com/petition-2016" target="_blank">medical marijuana initiative</a> filed suit Tuesday to challenge Attorney General Scott Pruitt&#39;s (R) rewrite of its ballot description. The original wording of the ballot title made it clear that a yes vote would okay only medical use approved by a physician, but Pruitt&#39;s version starts out like this: &quot;This measure legalizes the licensed use, sale and growth of marijuana in Oklahoma. There are no qualifying medical conditions identified.&quot; And Oklahomans for Health is crying foul: &quot;Thousands and thousands of signatures were collected from voters of Oklahoma,&quot; attorney David Slane said after he filed the lawsuit. &quot;No elected official has the right to rewrite these ballots in such a way that he would try to unfairly influence voters. Scott Pruitt has a habit, a pattern of doing this.&quot; Because the campaign was late handing in signatures, the issue is unlikely to appear on the ballot this year. Look for 2018.</p><p><strong>Hemp</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.seattletimes.com/business/colorado-hits-another-cannabis-1st-with-certified-hemp-seed/" target="_blank">Colorado Certifies Country&#39;s First Domestic Hemp Seeds</a>. The state Department of Agriculture has certified domestic hemp seeds for the first time in this country. State officials showed them off Wednesday. The certification is the endpoint of a years-long collaboration between the department and Colorado hemp growers and &quot;is vital to the long-term growth of the industry,&quot; said the department&#39;s Duane Sinning. The state has some 400 hemp farmers.</p><p><strong>Law Enforcement</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.wmnf.org/group-says-amendment-2-will-legalize-pot-little-regulation-protests-continue-shooting-death-unarmed-black-man-clair-mel/" target="_blank">Unrest Continues Over Killing of Unarmed Black Florida Man in SWAT Raid That Netted Two Grams of Weed</a>. Protests have been ongoing in the Clairmel area of Hillsborough County ever since a SWAT team member shot and killed<a href="http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2016/sep/06/long_hot_summer_drug_war" target="_blank"> Levonia Riggins</a> in his own bedroom last Thursday during a raid in which authorities turned up only two grams of marijuana. Traffic intersections have been blocked periodically as protestors call for the officer who killed Riggins to be fired.</p><p><strong>International </strong></p><p><a href="http://colombiareports.com/colombia-will-not-resume-aerial-coca-fumigation-santos" target="_blank">Colombian President Just Says No to Resuming Aerial Fumigation of Coca Crops</a>. President Juan Manuel Santos has shot down a trial balloon floated earlier this week by Prosecutor General Nestor Humberto Martinez, who suggested that the country was about to restart aerial eradication of coca crops by spraying herbicides on the fields. Spraying doesn&#39;t solve the problem, Santos said: &quot;We arrive, fumigate or eradicate it with soldiers and police, only for farmers to plant even more productive varieties as we leave,&quot; the president said.</p><p><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-indonesia-drugs-idUSKCN11D0G5" target="_blank">Indonesia Anti-Drug Head Calls for Philippines-Style War on Drugs</a>. Budi Waseso, head of the Indonesian anti-drugs agency, said Tuesday his country was ramping up its drug war and said Indonesia could be as aggressive as the Philippines, where alleged drug users and dealers are being murdered in the streets by police and vigilantes. &quot;Yes I believe so. It can happen because (the drugs problem) in Indonesia is as bad as in the Philippines. The life of a dealer is meaningless because (he) carries out mass murder. How can we respect that?,&quot; he added.</p><p><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-06/philippine-crime-war-claiming-44-lives-a-day/7820924" target="_blank">Philippines Drug War Death Toll Now Surging Toward 3,000 in Only Two Months</a>. People are being killed at the rate of 44 a day in President Rodrigo Duterte&#39;s war on drug users, drug sellers, and the rule of law, and the death toll after only two months in office is now nearing 3,000. Duterte is happy and wants more: &quot;More people will be killed, plenty will be killed until the last pusher is out of the streets,&quot; he said &quot;Until the (last) drug manufacturer is killed, we will continue and I will continue.&quot; Of the nearly 3,000 killed, about one-third are claimed by police and two-thirds are blamed on death squads, vigilantes, and hired assassins.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2016/sep/07/chronicle_am_az_ca_mj_polls_ar_o#comments20162016 Drug War KillingsAndean Drug WarCivil ConflictCocaHempMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaNews BriefPolice RaidsPolice/Suspect AltercationsState & Local LegislaturesState CourtsSWAT/ParamilitarizationWed, 07 Sep 2016 21:02:10 +0000psmith32079 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: Denver Pot Social Use Init Makes Ballot, Kratom Fight Gathers Steam, More... (9/6/16)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2016/sep/06/chronicle_am_denver_pot_social_u
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<p>Big city Texas prosecutors are increasingly dropping small-time pot cases, a Denver social use marijuana initiative qualifies for the ballot, kratom proponents move to block the DEA effort to place it on Schedule I, and more, including lots of international items.</p><p>[image:1 align:left caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article99948897.html" target="_blank">Texas Big City Prosecutors Are Dismissing Small-Time Marijuana Cases</a>. Prosecutors in the state&#39;s five most populous counties -- Bexar (San Antonio), Dallas, Harris (Houston), Tarrant (Ft. Worth), and Travis (Austin) -- are increasingly dismissing small-time pot possession charges. In Ft. Worth, the number of cases dropped rose from 9% in 2011 to 25% last year. In Dallas, the number dropped rose from 18% to 41% in the same period. Travis County prosecutors Dan Hamre explained. &quot;Jurors would look at us like we are crazy,&quot; he said. &quot;&#39;You are spending your time, our time and the court&#39;s time on a small amount of personal marijuana?&#39;&quot;</p><p><a href="http://thejointblog.com/over-1000-signatures-on-petition-to-end-cannabis-felonies" target="_blank">Washington State Campaign to End Marijuana Possession Felonies Underway</a>. Under marijuana legalization via I-502, the stat legalized the possession of up to 28 grams of pot, but possession of 40 grams or more remains a felony. A <a href="https://www.change.org/p/petition-tell-washington-state-lawmakers-to-end-felonies-for-personal-cannabis-possession" target="_blank">Change.org petition</a> calling on state lawmakers to fix the law is now underway. It has more than a thousand signatures in ten days, but could always use more.</p><p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/denver-marijuana-public-use_us_57c89260e4b0a22de09523a7" target="_blank">Denver Marijuana Social Club Initiative Qualifies for Ballot</a>. An <a href="http://limitedsocialuse.org/initiative/" target="_blank">initiative</a> from the Denver Social Use Campaign has qualified for the November ballot. It would allow for the creation of &quot;designated consumption areas&quot; for marijuana use. Permits would be open to a broad range of businesses, and could cover a single event or be good for up to a year. Patrons would have to bring their own buds, though, since sales would not be allowed.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana </strong></p><p><a href="http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2016/sep/03/2nd-rx-pot-lawsuit-cites-signature-gath/" target="_blank">Second Arkansas Lawsuit Challenges Medical Marijuana Initiative</a>. A Little Rock attorney who is <a href="http://www.marijuana.com/blog/news/2016/09/norml-member-tries-to-kick-medical-marijuana-off-arkansas-ballot/" target="_blank">a member of NORML&#39;s National Legal Committee</a> has filed a lawsuit seeking to knock the <a href="http://www.arcompassion.com/read_the_amca" target="_blank">Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act</a> off the November ballot. In the lawsuit, attorney Kara Benca asked the court to invalidate some 15,000 voter signatures, which would disqualify the initiative. A second initiative, the <a href="http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/sourcefiles/arkansas-medical-marijuana-act.pdf" target="_blank">Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment</a>, has also qualified for the ballot. If both pass, the won with the most votes wins.</p><p><strong>Drug Policy</strong></p><p><a href="https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/please-do-not-make-kratom-schedule-i-substance" target="_blank">Petition Drive to Undo Making Kratom Schedule I is Underway</a>. In response to the DEA&#39;s announcement it was moving to make kratom&#39;s active ingredients Schedule I, fans of the opioid substitute have begun a <a href="https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/please-do-not-make-kratom-schedule-i-substance" target="_blank">Change.org petition</a> asking the White House to intervene. The White House must respond if the petition hits 100,000 signatures by month&#39;s end. So far, it has nearly 70,000. The American Kratom Association also says it is pondering a lawsuit to block the move.</p><p><strong>International </strong></p><p><a href="https://www.pedestrian.tv/news/health-and-fitness/hell-yeah-medicinal-cannabis-to-be-legalised-natio/b2db5271-0d94-411e-b7eb-d816da8ac25b.htm" target="_blank">Australia Will Legalize Medical Marijuana in November</a>. The Therapeutic Goods Administration has made it official. The agency has now formally announced it will move medical marijuana from Schedule 9 (prohibited substances) to Schedule 8 (controlled drugs). The change will go into effect in November.</p><p><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/09/03/bolivia-proposes-prison-time-for-illegal-coca-production.html" target="_blank">Bolivian Government Proposes Prison Time for Illegal Coca Cultivation</a>. Vice Minister for Social Defense Felipe Caceres announced Friday that the government is proposing a bill that would make illegal coca production a crime punishable by up to three years in prison. Under current law, illegal cultivators face no prison time, only the destruction of their crops.</p><p><a href="http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Colombias-Attorney-General-Calls-for-Renewed-Aerial-Fumigation-20160905-0024.html" target="_blank">Colombia Attorney General Calls for Renewed Aerial Eradication of Coca Crops</a>. Attorney General Nestor Humberto Martinez has released a report calling for a resumption of aerial spraying of coca groups with herbicides. The government ended that policy las year, citing health risks, as well as a desire to emphasize public health and human rights in its drug policies. But an expansion of coca production has the government signaling it may change its tune.</p><p><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-denmark-christiania-drugs-idUSKCN1181GJ" target="_blank">Denmark&#39;s Christiania Residents Tear Down Hash Stalls After Police Shot and Wounded</a>. Christiania has long been the go-to place to score hash in Copenhagen, but after a known drug seller opened fire on police last week, wounding two, residents of the hippie enclave began tearing down dealers&#39; stalls, saying they feared organized crime was moving in. &quot;If they start building up the booths again tonight, then well, we&#39;re here tonight as well. The plan is to continue tearing them down until it works,&quot; Christiania resident Helene Schou said. &quot;I&#39;m not saying hash should disappear completely from Christiania, but we needed a kiosk and what we had was a supermarket.&quot;</p><p><a href="http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/philippines-make-drug-tests-mandatory-entering-college-1579285" target="_blank">Philippines Will Make Drug Tests Mandatory for College Students</a>. In the latest move in President Rodrigo Duterte&#39;s murderous war on drugs, his administration has announced it will seek to make students entering college undergo drug tests beginning next year. More than 2,400 people accused of being drug users or sellers have been killed in Duterte&#39;s two months in office, and his administration has instituted broad drug testing of police and politicians, among others.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2016/sep/06/chronicle_am_denver_pot_social_u#comments2016Andean Drug WarCivil ConflictCocaDEADrug TestingHashishKratomMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaNews BriefPolice/Suspect AltercationsProsecutionState & Local Executive BranchesTue, 06 Sep 2016 20:53:34 +0000psmith32078 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: Seattle Safe Injection Site Progress, Philippines Drug Killings Inquiry, More... (8/23/16)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2016/aug/23/chronicle_am_seattle_safe_inject
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<p>A Seattle heroin task force has endorsed safe injection sites, the Philippine Senate is holding hearings on the ongoing massacre of alleged drug users and sellers, Colombia coca growers are protesting over unfulfilled crop substitution promises, and more.</p><p>[image:1 align:right caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.thv11.com/news/local/ark-marijuana-legalization-amendment-fails-again/305261279" target="_blank">Arkansas Attorney General Rejects 2018 Legalization Initiative Wording, Again</a>. Attorney General Leslie Rutledge has again rejected the wording of a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana. The proposal is from Mary Berry of Summit. Rutledge wrote Monday that the proposal has ambiguities around licensing and the role of various state agencies in overseeing legal marijuana commerce. Berry successfully submitted a similar proposal for this year, the Arkansas Cannabis Amendment, but it failed to get enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.</p><p><a href="http://www.postguam.com/news/cnmi/igisomar-reintroduces-medical-marijuana-bill/article_9adff584-6824-11e6-9c01-cb7cb12f82dc.html" target="_blank">Northern Marianas Senator Reintroduces Marijuana Legalization Referendum Bill</a>. Sen. Sixto Igisomar has redrafted what was formerly a medical marijuana bill and turned it into a full-on legalization bill. The new version, Senate Bill 19-106, is now before the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare. If approved by the legislature, the measure would then go before the voters.</p><p><strong>Harm Reduction</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/innovative-solution-to-homelessness-housing-where-drug-use-is-ok/" target="_blank">Seattle Heroin Task Force Endorses Safe Injection Sites</a>. The Heroin Task Force empanelled by Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and King County Executive Dow Constantine has endorsed open safe injection sites for drug users. The task force is now working on formal recommendations on how it might work and the legal challenges it could face. Those recommendations are expected next month.</p><p><strong>International </strong></p><p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/philippine-senators-investigate-hundreds-of-drugs-killings/2016/08/22/81d6ea60-6848-11e6-91cb-ecb5418830e9_story.html" target="_blank">Philippine Senators Open Hearing on Drug War Killings</a>. The Senate Justice Committee opened an inquiry Monday into the killings of more than 1,800 alleged drug users and sellers during an ongoing crackdown spurred by President Rodrigo Duterte. Committee chair Sen. Leila de Lima said she was worried by the killings and that police and vigilantes could be using the crackdown &quot;to commit murder with impunity.&quot; National Police Chief Ronald de la Rosa, who said he did not condone extrajudicial killings, took heat for failing to stop vigilante killings. &quot;This is like anarchy,&quot; said Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV. &quot;It&#39;s continuing under your watch.&quot;</p><p><a href="http://colombiareports.com/south-colombia-coca-growers-say-government-breaching-crop-substitution-deal/" target="_blank">Colombia Coca Growers Say Government Not Living Up to Crop Substitution Promises</a>. Coca growers in Putumayo province have been protesting for the past month, saying the government is eradicating coca crops without providing substitute crops as promised. Clashes between riot police and protestors have left at least one farmer dead, with dozens others injured.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2016/aug/23/chronicle_am_seattle_safe_inject#comments2016Andean Drug WarCivil ConflictCocaHuman RightsMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana IndustryMarijuana LegalizationNews BriefPolice/Suspect AltercationsSafe Injection SitesState & Local Executive BranchesState & Local LegislaturesTue, 23 Aug 2016 20:42:04 +0000psmith32060 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: Obama to Sign Opioids Bill, CO Legal MJ Fueling Economic Growth, More... (7/15/16)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2016/jul/15/chronicle_am_obama_sign_opioids
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<p>A new report finds legal marijuana has been good for Colorado&#39;s economy, the White House announces President Obama will sign CARA, and more.</p><p>[image:1 align:right caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2016/07/15/cannabis-industry-bolstering-retail-manufacturing-job-growth-in-colorado/" target="_blank">Report Finds Legal Marijuana Bolstering Retail, Manufacturing in Colorado</a>. In a new report, the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business finds that the state&#39;s marijuana industry is bumping up retail sales and hiring in manufacturing. Recreational cannabis sales began in 2014. That year, &quot;We had a 3.5% increase in employment. In 2015, a 4.9% increase in food-manufacturing employment,&quot; the report said. &quot;The data doesn&#39;t allow us to slice and dice to say, &#39;These are indeed edibles or not,&#39; but the recognition is this is where they would be classified.&quot; Likewise, chemical manufacturing jobs vanished at a rate of 2.2% a year from 2002 to 2012, but increased 2.1% in 2013, 1.4% in 2014, and 3.9% last year. Chemical manufacturing includes producing cannabis oils.</p><p><strong>Heroin and Prescription Opioids</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2016/07/14/us-president-obama-to-sign-bill-to-battle-heroin-addiction.html" target="_blank">Obama Will Sign Opioids Bill Despite Lack of Funding</a>. President Obama will sign into law the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (<a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/s524" target="_blank">S. 524</a>) even though Congress failed to adequately fund it, the White House said Wednesday. The bill &quot;falls far short&quot; of necessary funding, but Obama will sign it &quot;because some action is better than none.&quot; More funds could be appropriated in the future, but that&#39;s by no means a done deal.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.euronews.com/newswires/3219875-peru-now-ready-to-destroy-coca-fields-in-rebel-haven-anti-narcotics-chief/" target="_blank">Peru Takes Aim at Coca Cultivation in the VRAEM</a>. The country&#39;s anti-drug agency, DEVIDA, said Thursday in is ready to eradicate coca plants in the remote and lawless Valleys of the Rio, Apurimac, and Mantaro Rivers (VRAEM) region of south-central Peru. The government has held off on eradication in the region, a major coca producer and home to a remnant of the Shining Path rebels. About three-quarters of the country&#39;s coca is grown there, and DEVIDA is ready to go after it. &quot;Today I can say that the conditions are now entirely there for a drastic reduction in the coverage of coca in the VRAEM,&quot; Devida chief Alberto Otarola said in a news conference. &quot;No part of Peru should be exempt from the rule of law.&quot;</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2016/jul/15/chronicle_am_obama_sign_opioids#commentsAddiction TreatmentAndean Drug WarBudgets/Taxes/EconomicsBusinessCocaCongressEmploymentExecutive BranchMarijuana IndustryMarijuana LegalizationNews BriefFri, 15 Jul 2016 20:55:44 +0000psmith32019 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: GOP Rejects MedMJ, Colombia & FARC Collaborate on Coca Substitution, More... (7/12/16)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2016/jul/12/chronicle_am_gop_rejects_medmj_c
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<p>Medical marijuana is getting some attention on Capitol Hill, Arizona legalization foes go to court to try to block the initiative, Maine rejects medical marijuana for opiate addiction, Colombia and the FARC rebels partner on a coca crop substitution pilot program, and more.</p><p>[image:1 align:right caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.abc15.com/money/pot-prohibitionists-file-lawsuit-to-keep-recreational-marijuana-initiative-off-ballot" target="_blank">Arizona Prohibitionists File Lawsuit to Block Legalization Initiative</a>. Legalization opponents Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy have joined two county attorneys in filing a lawsuit to block the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol&#39;s <a href="https://www.regulatemarijuanainarizona.org/initiative-summary/" target="_blank">legalization initiative</a> from going before voters in November. The lawsuit claims the initiative is &quot;misleading&quot; and is not accurately summarized by its title and text. Legalization opponents in Massachusetts tried a similar tactic earlier this year. They failed.</p><p><a href="http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2016/07/11/state-asks-judge-toss-marijuana-ballot-access-case/86975994/" target="_blank">Michigan Asks Judge to Throw Out Legalization Group&#39;s Ballot Access Challenge</a>. The state is asking the Court of Claims to dismiss a lawsuit from MI Legalize, which is seeking to place its <a href="http://www.milegalize.com/read_the" target="_blank">legalization initiative</a> on the November ballot. The group gathered more than 350,000 signatures and only needed some 252,000 to qualify, but some of those signatures were obtained outside a 180-day window generally mandated by state law. In seeking dismissal, the state argues that there isn&#39;t enough time to get the measure on the ballot now, the lawsuit fails to identify constitutional claims and contradicts earlier state Supreme Court rulings.</p><p><a href="http://kcur.org/post/kansas-city-marijuana-reform-advocates-launch-decriminalization-ballot-initiative" target="_blank">Kansas City Marijuana Advocates Launch Decriminalization Initiative Campaign</a>. The Kansas City, Missouri, NORML branch is collecting signatures to get a decriminalization initiative on the November ballot. The proposal would decriminalize up to 35 grams of pot, with a maximum fine of $25. The group needs 1,708 valid voter signatures by August 25, but says it plans to gather hundreds more than that and has 800 already.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/medical-cannabis-gop-convention_us_578412f1e4b07c356cfe3c55" target="_blank">GOP Rejects Medical Marijuana Platform Plank</a>. Republican delegates meeting Monday in Cleveland ahead of the party&#39;s national convention voted against endorsing medical marijuana in their party platform. The vote came after contentious debate, with some delegates making claims about marijuana reminiscent of Reefer Madness. One delegate claimed people who commit mass murders are &quot;young boys from divorced families, and they&#39;re all smoking pot,&quot; another compared medical marijuana to physically addictive and potentially lethal prescription opiates. Still, it took two voice votes for the measure to be voted down.</p><p><a href="http://bit.ly/29AqfZf" target="_blank">Senate Subcommittee Hearing on Medical Marijuana Research Today</a>. The US Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism is scheduled to hold a hearing today on &quot;Researching the Potential Medical Benefits and Risks of Marijuana.&quot; Testimony will be heard from Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), who are original co-sponsors of medical marijuana legislation introduced last year in the Senate known as the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States (CARERS) Act <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/s683" target="_blank">(S 683</a>). Other scheduled witnesses include officials from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), among others.</p><p><a href="http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2533042" target="_blank">Senators Feinstein and Grassley Call for Expedited Evaluation of Medical Uses of CBDs</a>. The two Senate octogenarians have asked Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Health and Human Services Director Sylvia Burwell for the two agencies to work together to remove barriers to the scientific and medical evaluation of cannabidiol (CBD). The pair, who are, respectively, the co-chair and chair of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, made their request in a <a href="http://1.usa.gov/1WwMvH8;http:/1.usa.gov/1sLHOg2" target="_blank">letter</a> to the two agency heads.</p><p><a href="http://stateandcapitol.bangordailynews.com/2016/07/11/lepage-administration-rejects-bid-to-treat-opiate-addiction-with-marijuana/" target="_blank">Maine Rejects Including Opiate Addiction as Qualifying Condition for Medical Marijuana</a>. The administration of Tea Party Gov. Paul LePage (R) has rejected a petition seeking to include opiate addiction on the state&#39;s list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana. State officials said the case for inclusion was &quot;compelling,&quot; but they also said human studies hadn&#39;t been done and more research was needed.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><a href="http://colombiareports.com/colombia-kicks-off-pilot-program-substitute-coca-cultivations/" target="_blank">Colombia and FARC Rebels Begin Coca Substitution Pilot Program</a>. The government and the guerrillas Sunday began a pilot project to wean farmers off coca by offering them alternative crops. The move comes as the UN Office on Drugs and Crime reports that coca production is booming in what farmers see as a last opportunity to cash in before peace allows for a serious crop substitution effort. Some 500 small farmers are voluntarily participating in the program, which will be used as a model for the rest of the country after the FARC and the government reach final peace agreements.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2016/jul/12/chronicle_am_gop_rejects_medmj_c#comments2016Andean Drug WarCocaCongressDecriminalizationExecutive BranchMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana IndustryMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaNews BriefState & Local Executive BranchesTue, 12 Jul 2016 20:48:50 +0000psmith32013 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: CA MJ Ticket Race Disparities Persist, Bolivians Protest New US Law, More... (6/1/16)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2016/jun/01/chronicle_am_ca_mj_ticket_race_d
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<p>Two presidential candidates get &quot;A&quot; grades on marijuana policy, racial disparities in marijuana law enforcement persist in Los Angeles even in the age of decriminalization, Bolivians protest a new US drug trafficking law that extends Uncle Sam&#39;s reach, and more.</p><p>[image:1 align:right caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.mpp.org/news/press/marijuana-policy-project-updates-guide-presidential-candidates-adds-third-parties/" target="_blank">Marijuana Policy Project Updates Guide to Presidential Candidates, Adds Third Parties</a>. MPP has released an updated version of its voters&#39; guide to include Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein. Both received &quot;A+&quot; grades from the group. Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump got a &quot;C+,&quot; while the two remaining contenders, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, received a &quot;B&quot; and an &quot;A,&quot; respectively. MPP called this &quot;the most marijuana-friendly field of presidential candidates in history.&quot;</p><p><a href="http://www.laweekly.com/news/black-suspects-are-cited-for-pot-nearly-4-times-as-often-as-whites-in-la-6981006" target="_blank">In Los Angeles, Racial Disparities in Marijuana Enforcement Persist</a>. A new analysis from the ACLU and the Drug Policy Alliance finds that even in the era of decriminalization, blacks in Los Angeles are much more likely to be ticketed for pot possession than whites or Latinos. Although pot use was &quot;similar across racial and ethnic lines,&quot; blacks were nearly four times more likely than whites to be ticketed and about 2 &frac12; times more likely than Latinos to be ticketed.</p><p><a href="http://www.sunjournal.com/news/maine/2016/05/31/group-forms-fight-maine-marijuana-ballot-question/1934042" target="_blank">Maine Legalization Effort Gets Organized Opposition</a>. A new coalition aimed at defeating the state&#39;s <a href="https://www.regulatemaine.org/initiative-summary/" target="_blank">legalization initiative</a> has formed. The group, Mainers Protecting Our Youth and Communities, says it represents parents, health experts, clergy, and police. Its spokesman is Scott Gagnon, chair of the Maine affiliate of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, the brainchild of leading pot prohibitionist Kevin Sabet.</p><p><strong>Law Enforcement</strong></p><p><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/sentencing-set-oklahoma-reserve-deputy-death-39499014" target="_blank">Oklahoma Reserve Deputy Who Mistakenly Killed Drug Suspect Gets Four Years in Prison</a>. Former reserve deputy Robert Bates, who fatally shot unarmed drug suspect <a href="http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/apr/07/tulsa_meth_and_guns_suspect_kill">Eric Harris</a> in April 2015 after he said he mistakenly drew his handgun instead of his stun gun, was sentenced to four years in state prison Tuesday. The killing raised the veil on favoritism and corner-cutting in the Tulsa County Sheriff&#39;s Office and led to an indictment of Sheriff Stanley Glanz, who resigned last November.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.plenglish.com/index.php?option=com_content&amp;task=view&amp;id=4928441&amp;Itemid=1" target="_blank">Bolivians Reject New US Drug Trafficking Law</a>. Political and social leaders, peasants, and coca growers rejected the new US <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/s32" target="_blank">Transnational Drug Trafficking Act</a>, signed into law by President Obama last month. According to the Congressional Research Service, the act criminalizes the manufacture or distribution of a controlled substance &quot;by individuals having reasonable cause to believe that such a substance or chemical will unlawfully be imported into the United States&hellip;&quot; On Tuesday, hundreds of people marched through the city of Santa Cruz to protest the law, which they said could target coca growers, and President Evo Morales warned that Bolivia is not a US colony and added that coca is part of the country&#39;s cultural patrimony.</p><p><em>(This article was prepared by StoptheDrugWar.org&#39;s lobbying arm, the Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also pays the cost of maintaining this web site. DRCNet Foundation takes no positions on candidates for public office, in compliance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and does not pay for reporting that could be interpreted or misinterpreted as doing so.)</em></p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2016/jun/01/chronicle_am_ca_mj_ticket_race_d#comments2015 Drug War Killings2016Andean Drug WarCandidates/RacesCocaCongressDecriminalizationDecriminalizationExecutive BranchMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana LegalizationNews BriefRaceWed, 01 Jun 2016 20:42:31 +0000psmith31955 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgEuropean Drug Reform Stalwart Joep Oomen Dead at 54http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2016/mar/20/european_drug_reform_stalwart_jo
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<p>Joep Oomen, a key figure in European civil society drug reform efforts, has died unexpectedly of natural causes at his home in Antwerp, Belgium. He was found by colleagues dead in bed Friday when they went looking for him after he failed to show up for a meeting. He was 54 years old.</p><p>[image:1 align:right caption:true]A veteran activist with more than a quarter century of organizing under his belt, Oomen was the cofounder of numerous drug reform NGOs, including the European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies (<a href="http://www.encod.org/" target="_blank">ENCOD</a>), the <a href="http://www.trektuwplant.be/" target="_blank">Trekt Uw Plant</a> cannabis cultivation social club in Antwerp, and the Dutch Union for the Abolition of Cannabis Prohibtion (<a href="http://www.voc-nederland.org/" target="_blank">VOC</a>).</p><p>Joep&#39;s vision of a world without drug war drew his attention beyond Europe&#39;s borders as well. He had been active with groups like <a href="http://www.mamacoca.org/" target="_blank">Mama Coca</a> and <a href="http://www.amigoshojadecoca.org/nuevo/" target="_blank">Friends of the Coca Leaf</a> in working to see the coca plant treated with the respect it deserves, and had been a steady presence at organizing around the United Nations&#39; international drug prohibition bureaucracy.</p><p>&quot;Joep was the kind of activist you only very rarely come across,&quot; wrote VOC chairman Derrick Bergman. &quot;He combined a seemingly inexhaustible drive and perseverance with impeccable integrity and transparency. Joep spoke fluent Spanish since his studies in Amsterdam in the eighties, he became half-Flemish in Antwerp, but in the end he was primarily a world citizen. I consider myself lucky to have known Joep and to have worked closely with him for eight years with the VOC and Encod. He was not only a hugely effective and inspiring activist, but also a very dear friend.&quot;Oomen was present at many international drug reform conferences, where he shared his knowledge and experience about Europe and eagerly sucked up the latest information from around the world. He was also a key source on European drug policy reforms for this newsletter (<em>Drug War Chronicle</em>), always responsive to our requests for information and clarifying the sometimes murky goings on across the water.</p><p>We consider Joep a friend and colleague. We are shocked and saddened by his untimely departure.</p><p>He leaves behind a wife, Beatriz, two sons, and a grandson.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2016/mar/20/european_drug_reform_stalwart_jo#commentsAndean Drug WarCocaMarijuana -- Personal UseNews BriefPolitics Outside USUnited NationsSun, 20 Mar 2016 22:26:50 +0000psmith31874 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: British Lib Dems Adopt Marijuana Legalization, Seattle Eyes Safe Injection Site, More... (3/14/16)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2016/mar/14/chronicle_am_british_lib_dems_ad
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<p>Britain&#39;s Liberal Democrats become the first UK political party to formally embrace marijuana legalization, a bill to recriminalize&nbsp;public pot smoking in Maryland advances, a Seattle task force is taking a serious look at supervised injection facilities, and more.</p><p>[image:1 align:left caption:true]<b>Marijuana Policy</b></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/blog/bal-house-panel-rejects-right-to-use-marijuana-stiffens-penalty-for-public-use-20160311-story.html" target="_blank">Maryland House Panel Okays Making Public Pot Smoking a Crime</a>. The House Judiciary Committee has approved a bill to make it a misdemeanor punishable by a $500 fine to use marijuana in public places. That measure is <a href="http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/frmMain.aspx?pid=billpage&amp;tab=subject3&amp;id=hb0777&amp;stab=01&amp;ys=2016RS" target="_blank">House Bill 777</a>. The committee also killed a proposed amendment to the state Constitution that would have made marijuana use a right. </p><p><a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2016/03/13/massachusetts-hospital-group-against-legalized-marijuana/qvyynR0bi9gR9pwzGLyCjN/story.html" target="_blank">Massachusetts Hospital Association Opposes Legalization</a>. The association&#39;s board of directors voted unanimously against legalizing marijuana, citing public health and safety concerns. Top elected officials of both parties, including Gov. Charlie Baker (R), Attorney General Maura Healey (D), and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh (D) have also come out against legalization. </p><p><b>Medical Marijuana</b> </p><p><a href="http://www.decaturdaily.com/news/capital_notes_and_quotes/leni-s-law-on-marijuana-in-committee-wednesday/article_db71e993-37dd-5399-9194-ae085930c622.html" target="_blank">Alabama CBD Cannabis Oil Bill to Get Hearing Wednesday</a>.&nbsp; &quot;Leni&#39;s Law,&quot; <a href="https://legiscan.com/AL/drafts/HB61/2016" target="_blank">House Bill 61</a>, will get a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee. The bill would allow for the use of CBD under a physician&#39;s care for the treatment of debilitating medical conditions. Two years ago, the legislature passed a CBD bill, but it didn&#39;t allow for any use outside of a University of Alabama study. </p><p><a href="http://upnorthlive.com/news/local/protesters-rally-against-raids-of-several-marijuana-dispensaries" target="_blank">Michigan Dispensary Raids Spark Protests</a>. Nearly a hundred people took to the streets outside the Michigan State Police Gaylord Post Sunday to protest raids against 10 Oswego County dispensaries two days earlier. The Straits Area Narcotic Enforcement (SANE) team led the raids, which were the second such law enforcement assault on patient access in the area in the past year. </p><p><a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/weed-legalization-2016-new-political-party-legal-marijuana-now-nebraska-backs-drugs-2335864" target="_blank">Nebraska Medical Marijuana Political Party Formed</a>. Cornhusker activists tired of waiting for the legislature to act have formed a political party, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MJPNE" target="_blank">Legal Marijuana Now Nebraska</a>, and are preparing a signature drive to put medical marijuana to the voters. The will need to gather 6,500 valid voter signatures by August 1 to qualify for the November ballot. <b></b></p><p><b>Harm Reduction</b></p><p><a href="http://www.king5.com/story/news/local/seattle/2016/03/11/seattle-eyes-safe-injection-site-heroin-users/81636610/" target="_blank">Seattle Eyes Supervised Injection Facility</a>. The newly-formed Seattle-King County heroin task force is look at a safe injection site as one way of addressing heroin use in the area. King County Sheriff John Urquhart said he is &quot;keeping an open mind.&quot; </p><p><b>International</b> </p><p><a href="http://www.libdems.org.uk/liberal_democrats_call_for_a_legalised_cannabis_market" target="_blank">British Liberal Democrats Formally Adopt Marijuana Legalization Platform</a>. During its spring conference over the weekend, the Liberal Democratic Party formally adopted marijuana legalization and a regulated marijuana market. The party envisions single-purpose stores to sell marijuana. The Lib Dems become the first political party in Britain to embrace legalization. </p><p>The Colombian Defense Minister, Luis Carlos Villegas, said last Friday that the government is concerned over an increase in coca crops. Villegas conceded that there was a 40% increase between 2013 and 2014, and that there was another significant increase between 2014 and 2015. He blamed the increased profitability of the drug trade thanks to a Colombian currency devaluation, and he blamed the FARC for encouraging peasants to grow coca in the hopes of receiving development aid down the road.</p><p></p><p></p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2016/mar/14/chronicle_am_british_lib_dems_ad#comments2016Andean Drug WarCocaMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaNews BriefSafe Injection SitesState & Local LegislaturesMon, 14 Mar 2016 21:00:14 +0000psmith31864 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: Supreme Court Takes Up CO Legalization, DEA Can't Keep Track of Evidence, More... (2/19/16)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2016/feb/19/chronicle_am_supreme_court_takes
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<p>The Supreme Court will decide if the case against Colorado can go forward, Ohio pot legalizers call it quits for now, Detroit dispensaries are facing a crackdown, a New Jersey bill would criminalize pregnant women who use drugs, and more.</p><p>[image:1 align:right caption:true]<b>Marijuana Policy</b></p><p><a href="http://blog.sfgate.com/smellthetruth/2016/02/19/supreme-court-hears-pivotal-marijuana-legalization-case-today/" target="_blank">Supreme Court Hears Case Against Colorado Legalization Today</a>. The nation&#39;s highest court is deciding whether to take up a challenge against the state&#39;s legal marijuana law from neighboring Nebraska and Oklahoma. The death of Justice Antonin Scalia last weekend could alter the balance. If the court splits conservative vs. liberal, that would mean a 4-4 vote on the case. In regular cases that would mean that lower court rulings would hold. But the Supreme Court has &quot;original jurisdiction&quot; when states sue each other, meaning that there are no lower court rulings, raising the question of what would happen next.</p><p><a href="http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/2ef73f74d7ca4d439a490e1851848155/OH--Rethinking-Pot-Ohio" target="_blank">Ohio Legalization Initiative Campaign Calls It Quits</a>. The group, <a href="https://legalizeohio2016.org/" target="_blank">Legalize Ohio 2016</a>, says it has put its signature gathering drive on hold because it doesn&#39;t have any money. The group&#39;s political action committee, Ohioans to End Prohibition, had only $268 in the bank. The group has some 80,000 signatures, but needs more than 300,000 valid voter signatures to qualify for the ballot. It says it will instead concentrate on supporting the Marijuana Policy Project&#39;s medical marijuana initiative.</p><p><b>Medical Marijuana</b></p><p><a href="http://www.wxyz.com/news/region/detroit/crackdown-looms-for-detroits-booming-medical-marijuana-business" target="_blank">Detroit Dispensary Boom Faces Looming Crackdown</a>. The Motor City is now home to more than 200 dispensaries, but an ordinance that goes into effect March 1 is likely to put some of them out of business. The new ordinance insists that dispensaries must be at least a thousand feet from schools, parks, churches, libraries, and other dispensaries, and an unknown number are not going to be in compliance. Don&#39;t expect immediate raids, though; dispensary owners will have a chance to apply for licenses, and police said they would give dispensaries some time to comply before moving against them.</p><p><b>Asset Forfeiture</b></p><p><a href="http://cookcountyrecord.com/stories/510664648-lawsuit-kane-county-police-using-investigative-holds-asset-forfeiture-to-run-racketeering-enterprise" target="_blank">Illinois County Sued for Asset Forfeiture &quot;Racketeering.&quot;</a> Three people have filed a federal lawsuit against the Kane County Sheriff&#39;s Office alleging it is running a racketeering enterprise by stopping drivers, falsely arresting and searching them, and seizing their cash and cars for the benefit of the county. The suit also names three deputies, including one -- Sgt. Hain -- who is also employed by a private company, Desert Snow, that trains police to prolong traffic stops, conduct searches without warrants or consent, and aggressively seize assets. The plaintiffs allege they were stopped, searched, and had several thousand dollars in cash seized, and that they were booked into the county jail overnight, but never charged with a crime. They were released the next day. Police found no drugs or other suspicious items. The plaintiffs are seeking compensatory and punitive damages</p><p><b>Law Enforcement</b></p><p><a href="http://www.govexec.com/oversight/2016/02/dea-leaving-its-drug-seizures-vulnerable-theft/126043/" target="_blank">Justice Department Inspector General Rips DEA Over Evidence Handling Procedures</a>. The DEA isn&#39;t properly documenting, tracking, and relocating the drugs it seizes, compromising the security of the drugs and undermining their usefulness as evidence in court, the inspector general said in <a href="http://www.govexec.com/oversight/2016/02/dea-leaving-its-drug-seizures-vulnerable-theft/126043/" target="_blank_">findings</a> released Thursday. In nearly one out of every 10 cases, DEA could not even find the tracking documents that are supposed to account for the drugs. &quot;Gaps in the formal documentation of the chain of custody for drug exhibits can compromise the security of the drugs and jeopardize the government&#39;s ability to use the evidence in court proceedings,&quot; the IG said. The IG also found that more than half of all seizures, DEA forms did not list the amount of drugs seized, making it impossible to know if they had been tampered with. The inspector general made nine recommendations in total to improve the oversight of DEA drug seizures, all of which the agency agreed to address.</p><p><a href="http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2016/02/18/new-jersey-democrats-harshen-drug-use-penalties-pregnant-people/" target="_blank">New Jersey Bill Would Criminalize Drug Use By Pregnant Women</a>. A trio of Democratic Assembly members have introduced <a href="https://legiscan.com/NJ/bill/A774/2016" target="_blank">Assembly Bill 774</a>, which would make using drug while pregnant a felony crime. Advocates for pregnant women called the bill &quot;blatantly discriminatory&quot; and said it will deter pregnant women from seeking prenatal care and drug treatment. They also said it was aimed at poor women.</p><p><b>International</b></p><p><a href="http://www.swansea.ac.uk/media/Privatisation_final.pdf" target="_blank">Report Criticizes Use of Private Contractors in Colombia Aerial Coca Fumigation</a>. A new report from the United Kingdom&#39;s Swansea University analyzes the role of private contractors and finds their primary benefit to the governments involved -- Colombia and the US -- are &quot;secrecy and lack of accountability.&quot; &quot;The ineffective policy is of dubious legality, causes damage to people and the environment, and would, if carried out by US military forces, imply the direct involvement of the US in Colombia&#39;s civil war, thereby triggering the application of international law as it applies to armed conflict,&quot; the report found. Still, aerial fumigation achieved &quot;strategic objectives&quot; of the two governments by displacing rural populations from areas of insurgent influence.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2016/feb/19/chronicle_am_supreme_court_takes#comments2016Addiction TreatmentAndean Drug WarAsset ForfeitureCocaDEADrug UseExecutive BranchFederal CourtsMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana IndustryMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaNews BriefPregnancySearch and SeizureState & Local LegislaturesWomen's IssuesFri, 19 Feb 2016 21:04:42 +0000psmith31835 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: Wichita "Decrim" Thrown Out, Argentina Will Shoot Down Drug Planes, More... (1/22/16)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2016/jan/22/chronicle_am_wichita_decrim_thro
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<p>The Kansas Supreme Court throws out Wichita&#39;s voter-approved &quot;decrim&quot; ordinance on a technicality, GOP committee chairs quash medical marijuana bills in Indiana, the DEA partnered with a TSA screener in a bid to seize cash from travelers, the Argentines want to shoot down drug planes, and more.</p><p>[image:1 align:right caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.wcax.com/story/31033239/key-vt-lawmaker-on-pot-legalization-bill-no-to-homegrown" target="_blank">Key Vermont Politico Says No To Home Growing Marijuana</a>. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard Sears (D-Bennington) said today he would advance a marijuana legalization bill if it has majority support in his committee, but that he does not support home cultivation.</p><p><a href="http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article56038995.html" target="_blank">Kansas Supreme Court Throws Out Wichita &quot;Decrim&quot; on a Technicality</a>. The state&#39;s high court <a href="http://www.kscourts.org/Cases-and-Opinions/opinions/SupCt/2016/20160122/113528.pdf" target="_blank">ruled</a> that the initiative was invalid because it was improperly filed with the city clerk, but did not address arguments by the state that the ordinance conflicted with state marijuana laws. The Wichita ordinance lessened penalties for first offense possession to a $50 fine, but was not true decriminalization because that first offense would still be a criminal infraction.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2016/01/21/marijuanacbd-bills-apparently-dead/79105544/" target="_blank">Indiana Medical Marijuana Bills Pronounced Dead</a>. State Sen. Jean Leising (R-Oldenburg) said Thursday that medical marijuana bills in the state legislature would not got a hearing this year. &quot;They are all dead,&quot; she said. &quot;There just isn&#39;t the appetite in the Senate for approving any kind of medical marijuana, not with the current makeup of the (50-member) Senate. You need 26 votes, and they&#39;re just not there.&quot; Parents of children suffering from epilepsy had pleaded with lawmakers to act, to no avail.</p><p><a href="http://www.chron.com/business/energy/article/Governor-Medical-marijuana-makes-sense-if-it-6775014.php" target="_blank">Utah Governor Signals Support for Medical Marijuana</a>. Gov. Bob Herbert (R) said Thursday that he is not familiar with two medical marijuana bills filed this session and that he doesn&#39;t want a &quot;Dr. Feelgood&quot; situation, but &quot;if there&#39;s a medicine out there that will alleviate pain and conditions and health concerns for people, if there&#39;s a medicine out there that can do that, we ought to see if we can embrace it.&quot; He added that he would prefer that Congress legalize it federally rather than leaving it up to the states to act.</p><p><strong>Law Enforcement</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dea-tsa-agent-cash_us_569f9db5e4b0875553c266ea" target="_blank">DEA Hired TSA Informant to Help Steal Money From Travelers&#39; Luggage</a>. The agency recruited a TSA security screener to alert agents to cash in luggage that the DEA could confiscate, an arrangement that &quot;violated DEA policy,&quot; according to the Justice Department&#39;s Office of the Inspector General. The agency planned to pay the screener a cut of the cash he seized, but the Inspector General found that the screener never actually provided any actionable intelligence for seizures. Still, the DEA scheme &quot;could have violated individuals&#39; protection against unreasonable searches and seizures if it led to a subsequent DEA enforcement action,&quot; the OIG noted.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.univision.com/noticias/narcotrafico/argentina-aprueba-derribar-aviones-del-narco" target="_blank">Argentina Approves Shooting Down Suspected Drug Planes</a>. The new government of President Mauricio Macri continues to burnish its drug warrior credentials by announcing plans to begin shooting down suspected drug trafficking planes, a move the opposition called &quot;the death penalty without trial.&quot; Macri has already decreed a &quot;public security emergency&quot; for a year to fight drug trafficking, which he said had led to &quot;situation of collective danger.&quot;</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2016/jan/22/chronicle_am_wichita_decrim_thro#commentsAndean Drug WarCourt RulingsDEADecriminalizationExecutive BranchMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaNews BriefState & Local Executive BranchesState & Local LegislaturesState CourtsFri, 22 Jan 2016 22:12:05 +0000psmith31794 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgThe Top 10 International Drug Policy Stories of 2015 [FEATURE]http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/dec/24/top_ten_international_stories
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<p>Last century&#39;s international prohibitionist consensus on drug policy continued to crumble this year, with moves to relax controls on medical and personal use of marijuana leading the way. But harm reduction measures such as supervised injection sites are also on the rise, international civil society and even some governments are laying the groundwork for reforming the global drug control regime next year at the UN, America&#39;s most stalwart drug war ally in South America changes its tune, and more.</p><p>Here are the biggest international drug policy stories of the year, in no particular order:</p><p>[image:1 align:left caption:true]<strong>Canada Elects a Marijuana-Legalizing Prime Minister. </strong>We may have a handful of legal pot states, but Canada is about to become the first country in North America to free the weed. Newly elected Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made marijuana legalization a central plank of his election campaign, and this month, he immediately <a href="http://time.com/4115711/marijuana-legalization-justin-trudeau/" target="_blank_">ordered his new Justice Minister to get on it</a> after winning the election. In the annual throne speech last week, his government <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/04/canada-new-liberal-government-legalize-marijuana" target="_blank_">reiterated its intention to legalize it</a>. It won&#39;t happen overnight, but it&#39;s coming.</p><p><strong>The US is No Longer the Bogeyman of International Drug Reform</strong>. It&#39;s not like 2001, when Jamaican decriminalization got put on the back burner after thunderous protests from the US embassy, or even 2009, early in the Obama administration, when more muffled protests from the US helped put the kibosh on drug decriminalization in Mexico. It&#39;s more difficult for Washington to criticize other countries when the Obama administration has signaled it can live with legal marijuana in US states, but the administration seems less inclined to do so, anyway. Last year, William Brownfield, head of the State Department&#39;s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs enunciated a policy of tolerance toward reform efforts abroad, and the <a href="http://www.marijuana.com/blog/news/2015/11/state-department-canada-and-mexico-can-legalize-marijuana-if-they-want/" target="_blank">State Department reiterated that again this year</a>. It&#39;s not all roses, though; the prohibitionist beast may be weakening, but its tail still twitches.</p><p><strong>Laying the Groundwork for UNGASS on Drugs</strong>. The UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on Drugs is coming next spring, and the international drug reform movement was busy preparing for it this year. In May, during the High Level Thematic Debate on drugs, reform groups <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/05/05/global-drug-policy-isnt-working-these-100-organizations-want-that-to-change/" target="_blank">released an open letter</a> calling on the UN to respect countries&#39; drug policy reforms, and in June, while the UNODC marked global anti-drug day, <a href="http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/jun/26/uns_global_antidrug_day_civil_so">global civil society fought back</a> with events and demonstrations around the globe. Then, in October, Sir Richard Branson provoked a kerfluffle by <a href="http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/2015/10/leaked-united-nations-office-drugs-and-crime-unodc-paper-calls-decriminalizing-drug-use" target="_blank">leaking a UNODC draft document</a> that urged governments to consider drug decriminalization, forcing the agency to walk it back under pressure from at least one country. At year&#39;s end, the European Parliamentary Council <a href="http://assembly.coe.int/nw/xml/News/News-View-EN.asp?newsid=5890&amp;lang=2&amp;cat=133" target="_blank">called for a public health-oriented global drug policy</a>. A lot more has been going on behind the scenes, too, but drug reform at the UN moves at a glacial pace. Stay tuned.</p><p><strong>Afghan Opium Production Declines</strong>. For the first time since 2009, <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/afghan-opium-cultivation-drops-first-time-six-years-101101577.html" target="_blank">opium production has decreased in </a><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/afghan-opium-cultivation-drops-first-time-six-years-101101577.html" target="_blank">Afghanistan</a>, the UNODC reported. The area under cultivation declined by 19% from last year -- an all-time high -- and production declined even more, by 48%. UNODC attributed the decline to drought conditions. &quot;The low (overall) production can be attributed to a reduction in area under cultivation, but more importantly to a drop in opium yield per hectare,&quot; said the report, which was released last week. &quot;The lack (of) sufficient water for irrigation... affected the decision of some farmers not to cultivate poppy.&quot;</p><p>[image:2 align:right caption:true]<strong>Iran Drug Death Penalty Mania Shows First Signs of Receding</strong>. Iran has <a href="http://irannewsupdate.com/news/human-rights/2493-iran-continues-executions-of-drug-offenders-juveniles-and-political-prisoners.html" target="_blank_">executed hundreds</a> of people for drug offenses this year, but a <a href="http://www.handsoffcain.info/archivio_news/index.php?iddocumento=19304614" target="_blank">campaign to end European and UN funding</a> of Iran&#39;s drug war has been picking up steam. Some European countries, including Denmark, Great Britain, and Ireland have stopped funding, and in October, the UN special rapporteur on Iran warned that it was <a href="http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/22465" target="_blank_">using UN support</a> to justify its aggressive use of the death penalty. But that didn&#39;t stop the UN Office on Drugs and Crime from this month <a href="http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/22511" target="_blank_">increasing funding</a> for Iranian anti-drug operations. While the struggle continues on the international front, this month, <a href="http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/12/iran-drug-offense-smuggling-execution-ban.html" target="_blank">Iranian parliamentarians themselves</a> expressed discomfort with the death toll. At least 70 are supporting an effort to end the death penalty in nonviolent drug smuggling cases. Lawmakers are now preparing a bill to present to the parliament.</p><p><strong>Columbia Stops Aerial Spraying of Herbicide on Coca Fields, Farmers</strong>. With US backing and encouragement, the Colombian government sprayed the herbicide glyphosate on coca crops for years despite peasant protests that it was causing illness and damaging other crops and livestock. But in April, after a World Health Organization report reclassified the herbicide as &quot;probably carcinogenic to humans,&quot; <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/28/us-colombia-cocaine-environment-idUSKBN0NJ27X20150428" target="_blank">the health ministry called for the suspension of spraying</a>. The following month, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/15/world/americas/colombia-halts-us-backed-spraying-of-illegal-coca-crops.html" target="_blank_">Colombia ended the program</a> despite US pressure to continue it. Then, in September, President Juan Manuel Santos deepened the departure from two decades of US-style drug policies, <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/09/22/colombia-eyes-alternative-crops-voluntary-coca-eradication-as-us-backed-aerial/" target="_blank">unveiling a new national drug </a><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/09/22/colombia-eyes-alternative-crops-voluntary-coca-eradication-as-us-backed-aerial/" target="_blank">strategy</a> that will emphasize alternative development.</p><p><strong>Mexico Marijuana Moves</strong>. In a country where public opinion <a href="http://drugpolicydebateradar.com/2015/11/10/mexicoencuesta-66-contra-despenalizacion-de-marihuana/" target="_blank_">does not favor</a> legalization, the Supreme Court stunned the nation in November by ruling that <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/05/world/americas/mexico-supreme-court-marijuana-ruling.html" target="_blank">people have the right to grow and use marijuana</a>. The decision does not undo Mexico&#39;s marijuana laws, but does open the door for a wave of legal actions that could end in their being rewritten. It also opened the door for <a href="https://news.vice.com/article/the-mexican-president-promises-a-debate-on-marijuana-legalization" target="_blank">a national debate on marijuana policy</a>, with President Enrique Pena Nieto promising it will occur early next year.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana Advances</strong>. More countries okayed the use of medical marijuana in 2015, including <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-17/federal-government-to-legalise-growing-of-medicinal-cannabis/6862294" target="_blank">Australia</a>, <a href="http://www.freepressjournal.in/croatia-legalises-cannabis-for-medicinal-use" target="_blank_">Croatia</a>, and, just this week, Colombia. Meanwhile, <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/chile-harvests-first-marijuana-plants-in-project-to-help-ease-the-pain-of-cancer-sufferers-10165055.html" target="_blank">Chile</a> harvested its first medical marijuana crop in April, the <a href="http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150501/1021582547.html" target="_blank">Italian Army</a> began growing it in May (to address shortages within the country), and the <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/dalai-lama-backs-use-of-marijuana-for-medicinal-purposes-8884140.html" target="_blank">Dalai Lama</a> endorsed it in June. That same month, <a href="http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/2015/06/costa-rican-ministry-health-releases-criteria-pending-medical-marijuana-bill" target="_blank_">Costa Rica</a> outlined requirements for a pending medical marijuana bill, and in July, <a href="http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-israelis-to-be-allowed-cannabis-by-prescription-1001055995" target="_blank">Israel</a> announced it would make it available in pharmacies and allow more doctors to prescribe it.</p><p>[image:3 align:left caption:true]<strong>Jamaica Decriminalizes Ganja</strong>. In February, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/25/jamaica-decriminalises-marijuana" target="_blank">parliament voted </a>to approve a government-supported decriminalization bill, and the law went into effect in <a href="http://www.thecannabist.co/2015/04/15/jamaica-marijuana-laws/33298/" target="_blank">April</a>. Now, anyone, including foreign tourists, can now possess up to two ounces of ganja and face only a $5 fine. And any household can now grow up to five plants. Adult Rastafarians can also now use the herb for religious purposes. The law also paved the way for a regulatory authority for medical, scientific, and therapeutic uses. In July, Justice Minister Mark Golding <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/07/15/jamaica-justice-minister-signs-order-to-expunge-minor-marijuana-related/" target="_blank">signed an order</a> to expunge minor marijuana convictions, and by December, the government had granted its second <a href="http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20151219/rebel-salute-given-marijuana-exemption" target="_blank_">&quot;marijuana exemption&quot;</a> allowing Rastafarians at a festival to partake of (and possess and transport) Jah Herb without fear of arrest.</p><p><strong>Supervised Injection Sites Expand</strong>. The harm reduction measure allows drug users to ingest their drugs under medical supervision and without fear of arrest and has been <a href="http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/themes/harm-reduction/consumption-rooms" target="_blank_">proven</a> to improve outcomes for users and the community without increasing crime or other negatives and without fear of arrest. At the beginning of the year, there were supervised injection sites in eight countries -- Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, and Switzerland. By year&#39;s end, two more countries got them up and running, <a href="http://www.english.rfi.fr/france/20150525-frances-first-drug-consumption-room-open-paris-hospital-despite-protests" target="_blank">France</a> in the spring and <a href="http://idpc.net/alerts/2015/12/first-drug-consumption-room-pilot-program-launched-in-slovenia" target="_blank">Slovenia</a> in the fall. Late in the year, <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/government-approves-pilot-scheme-for-drug-injection-facility-in-dublin-1.2467649" target="_blank">Ireland</a> approved a supervised injection site in Dublin. Meanwhile, in the US, the Drug Policy Alliance and other advocates are mounting a campaign to open one in <a href="http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/2015/12/public-health-advocates-call-nyc-authorize-supervised-injection-facilities-fight-overdo" target="_blank">New York City</a>, which would be the first (official) one in the country.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/dec/24/top_ten_international_stories#commentsAndean Drug WarCanadaCocaDeath PenaltyDecriminalizationMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaNews FeatureOpium ProductionPolitics Outside USSafe Injection SitesThe Drug DebateUnited NationsThu, 24 Dec 2015 16:16:07 +0000psmith31760 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: Portland Nixes "Green Light District," Afghan Opium Decline, More (10/15/15)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/oct/15/chronicle_am_portland_nixes_gree
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<p>No pot tourism district for Portland, at least for now; New Jersey gets a fifth dispensary, Croatia legalizes medical marijuana, Afghan opium production fell by nearly half last year, and more.</p><p>[image:1 align:left caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.kgw.com/story/news/local/marijuana/2015/10/13/portland-considering-marijuana-green-light-district/73901964/" target="_blank">Portland City Council Rejects Marijuana &quot;Green Light District.&quot;</a> The city council has rejected a proposal to create a concentration of marijuana businesses in a downtown &quot;Green Light District&quot; as a bid to attract cannabis tourists and to keep shops out of residential areas. The city currently requires a 1,000-foot buffer between pot shops, and the failed move would have lifted that requirement. Mayor Charlie Hales said the measure could be brought up again later.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana</strong></p><p><a href="http://nj1015.com/new-medical-marijuana-facility-opens-in-cranbury-today" target="_blank">New Jersey Gets Fifth Dispensary Today</a>. The state Health Department said Wednesday it had issued its final permit for Breakwater Treatment and Wellness, a dispensary in Cranston. It opened today.</p><p><strong>Asset Forfeiture</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/michigan-police-asset-seizure_561e94a7e4b028dd7ea62184" target="_blank">Michigan Appeals Court Throws Out Car Seizure for $20 Worth of Weed</a>. The state Court of Appeals has overturned a lower court decision saying that police in Westland were justified in seizing a woman&#39;s vehicle after she was busted with a gram of weed while doing pizza deliveries -- but not because the seizure was on outrage on its face. Instead the court held that because the marijuana was an unanticipated tip from a customer, the car should not have been seized because she hadn&#39;t used it with the intent of purchasing drugs. Click on the link for more.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.voanews.com/content/un-afghan-opium-production-down/3005243.html" target="_blank">UNODC Reports Big Drop in Afghan Opium Production</a>. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime reported Wednesday that Afghan opium production last year declined by nearly half (48%), from 6,400 metric tons to 3,300 metric tons. The decline is the first after years of steady increases in poppy cultivation, and UNODC said it resulted from better cooperation between police and Afghan policymakers, a smaller area under cultivation, and lower yields.</p><p><a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2015/10/14/cocaine-air-corridor-zips-past-perus-military" target="_blank">Peru&#39;s Air Force Accused of Turning Blind Eye to Cocaine Flights</a>. The Peruvian defense minister announced Wednesday that he would investigate allegations of corruption in the military after the Associated Press reported days earlier that cocaine flights were taking off unimpeded in an &quot;air bridge&quot; to Bolivia that moves a ton of cocaine a day. The air bridge is from the VRAEM -- the Valleys of the Apurimac, Ene and Mantaro Rivers -- in south-central Peru, now the country&#39;s leading coca and cocaine producing area. The Peruvian government in August approved shooting down suspected drug planes.</p><p><a href="http://www.freepressjournal.in/croatia-legalises-cannabis-for-medicinal-use/" target="_blank">Croatia Approves Medical Marijuana</a>. The Croatian government has approved the use of medical marijuana for people suffering from multiple sclerosis, cancer, epilepsy, and AIDS. The marijuana will be distributed through pharmaceutical companies, and patients will be limited to 0.75 grams of pure THC per month. Home cultivation will not be allowed.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/oct/15/chronicle_am_portland_nixes_gree#commentsAndean Drug WarAsset ForfeitureCocaCocaineCourt RulingsMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana IndustryMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaNews BriefOpium ProductionState & Local Executive BranchesState CourtsThu, 15 Oct 2015 20:34:40 +0000psmith31675 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgChronicle AM: Thousands of Federal Drug Prisoners to Be Freed, Ohio Early Voting, More (10/6/15)http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/oct/06/chronicle_am_thousands_federal_d
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<p>Major sentencing news today; early voting starts today in Ohio (marijuana legalization is on the ballot), a North Carolina hemp bill has gone to the governor, Colombia will still spray a nasty herbicide on coca crops, and more.</p><p>[image:1 align:right caption:true]<strong>Marijuana Policy</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/15-16/bill/asm/ab_0801-0850/ab_849_vt_20151003.html" target="_blank">California Governor Vetoes Law Criminalizing Hash Oil Explosions</a>. Gov. Jerry Brown (D) Monday vetoed <a href="http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/15-16/bill/asm/ab_0801-0850/ab_849_bill_20150904_enrolled.htm" target="_blank">Assembly Bill 849</a>, which would have made it a crime to cause an explosion causing bodily harm. The bill was inspired by a series of butane hash oil lab explosions, but in his veto message, Brown said the conduct is already proscribed and another law on the matter &quot;creates increasing complexity without commensurate benefit.&quot;</p><p><a href="http://www.newsnet5.com/news/political/early-voting-starts-in-ohio-today-with-marijuana-legalization-on-the-ballot" target="_blank">Early Voting Starts Today on Ohio Legalization Initiative</a>. Ohioans can vote for or against Issue 3, the controversial <a href="http://www.responsibleohio.com/" target="_blank">ResponsibleOhio</a> initiative beginning today. Early voters can mail in absentee ballots or visit early-voting locations across the state.</p><p><a href="http://www.kgw.com/story/news/local/2015/10/06/multnomah-county-releases-marijuana-reporttim/73436180/" target="_blank">Oregon&#39;s Multnomah County (Portland) Issues Report on Legalization</a>. The Multnomah County Health Department has issued <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/283850313/Vital-Signs-Marijuana-Brief-Multnomah-County" target="_blank">a report</a> saying there are drawbacks and benefits from marijuana legalization, but that more research is needed. The report recommends implementing policies to address impaired driving, teen use, and dependence; there should be warnings for pregnant and nursing women, and there should be limits on the potency of pot, as well as on contamination from pesticides and other substances.</p><p><strong>Medical Marijuana</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.leafly.com/news/headlines/washington-releases-emergency-medical-cannabis-rules-7f5a" target="_blank">Washington State Issues Emergency Medical Marijuana Rules</a>. The state Health Department has just released <a href="http://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/2300/2015/MMJ-246-70.pdf" target="_blank">emergency rules</a> as the state moves to merge medical marijuana into the recreational pot regulatory system. The rules set standards for packaging &quot;High THC compliant products,&quot; testing requirements, safe handling, employee training, and labeling. Click on the rules link for all the details.</p><p><strong>Hemp</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.theweedblog.com/north-carolina-hemp-legalization-bill-heads-to-governor-for-signature/" target="_blank">North Carolina Hemp Bill Heads to Governor&#39;s Desk</a>. A measure legalizing industrial hemp production has been approved by the state legislature and now heads to the desk of Gov. Pat McCrory (R). The measure is <a href="http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2015&amp;BillID=S313&amp;votesToView=all" target="_blank">Senate Bill 313</a>. McCrory must veto it to block it; if he fails to act, it is approved.</p><p><strong>Heroin and Prescription Opiates</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.inquisitr.com/2471780/chicago-overdoses-heroin-overdoses-send-74-to-the-hospital-in-72-hours/" target="_blank">An Overdose an Hour in Chicago Last Week</a>. In the middle of last week, Chicagoans were overdosing on heroin, prescription opiates, or drug combinations at a rate of more than one an hour. Authorities reported responding to 74 overdose calls in 72 hours between last Tuesday and last Friday. ER doctors are suggesting that heroin cut with the powerful opioid fentanyl is behind the outbreak.</p><p><strong>Sentencing</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/justice-department-about-to-free-6000-prisoners-largest-one-time-release/2015/10/06/961f4c9a-6ba2-11e5-aa5b-f78a98956699_story.html" target="_blank">Feds to Free 6,000 Drug Prisoners at Month&#39;s End, More to Follow</a>. The Justice Department has announced that some 6,000 federal drug war prisoners will get early release from prison between October 30 and November 2. Most will go to halfway houses and home confinement before being freed on supervised release. This is the result of actions by the US Sentencing Commission, which cut sentences for some drug offenders last year and later made the chance retroactive, affecting currently serving inmates. An estimated 46,000 of nearly 100,000 federal drug prisoners should eventually qualify for the program.</p><p><strong>International</strong></p><p><a href="http://colombiareports.com/colombia-continue-using-controverial-glysophate-for-coca-eradication-police/" target="_blank">Colombia Will Continue to Use Glyphosate, Just Won&#39;t Aerially Spray It Anymore</a>. Colombian police will continue to use the herbicide glyphosate to eradicate coca plants, even though it won&#39;t apply it with aerial sprays, the chief of police said. The National Narcotics Council outlawed aerial spraying earlier this year, after glyphosate was found to contain massive amounts of carcinogens, but eradicators will now spray by hand, Police Chief Rodolfo Palomino said. &quot;We will continue with other forms of manual eradication and land fumigation with glyphosate,&quot; said Palomino.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/oct/06/chronicle_am_thousands_federal_d#comments2016Andean Drug WarCocaExecutive BranchFentanylHempHeroinMarijuana -- Personal UseMarijuana IndustryMarijuana LegalizationMedical MarijuanaNews BriefOverdosesPoisoned Drug SupplySentencing GuidelinesState & Local Executive BranchesState & Local LegislaturesTue, 06 Oct 2015 20:59:14 +0000psmith31662 at http://stopthedrugwar.orgAs Peace Negotiations Advance, Colombia Revamps Drug Policy [FEATURE]http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/sep/23/peace_negotiations_advance_colom
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<p>Marking the end of an era, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos Tuesday unveiled a new policy for dealing with coca cultivation and cocaine production, one that will rely on crop substitution and alternative development, with manual crop eradication only to be used as a last resort.</p><p>[image:1 align:left caption:true]Santos then flew to Havana, where he met with leaders of the leftist FARC guerrillas and Wednesday <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-34338208" target="_blank">announced an agreement</a> on a transitional justice deal that should lead to the end of the world&#39;s longest-running insurgency by March 2016. The agreement on how to deal with combatants in the nearly half-century long civil war is the latest in peace talks that have been going on in Havana since November 2012. Negotiators had already forged agreements on the thorny issues of land reform, the FARC&#39;s political participation after peace is achieved, and how to deal with illicit drug production.</p><p>Colombia&#39;s years-long policy of attempting to eradicate coca crops by spraying fields with herbicides will be history at the end of this month. That policy was backed and financed by the United States as part of its multi-billion dollar effort to defeat drug trafficking and, later, to defeat the FARC.</p><p>Despite the billions spent, Colombia remains the world&#39;s largest coca and cocaine producer, according to the US government. While production is down from record levels early this century, it rose 39% last year to about 276,000 acres. Figures from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime show a lower extent of cultivation (170,000 acres), but echo that it is on the increase. According to UNODC, the increase was 44% last year.</p><p>The plan announced Tuesday, the <a href="http://wp.presidencia.gov.co/SitePages/DocumentsPDF/6FrentesPlanIntegralSustitucionCultivos_20150922.pdf" target="_blank">Integrated Plan for Crop Substitution</a>, has as its goals reducing the crime associated with the drug trade by reorienting policing efforts toward processing, trafficking, and money laundering -- not harassing peasants -- improving state capacity through the improvement of social, economic, and political conditions in the countryside, and dealing with drug consumption with a focus on human rights, public health, and human development.</p><p>It sets out six foci:</p><ol><li><strong>Social Investment</strong>. That will include state and private spending on roads, energy supply, water supply, and investment in public health and education.</li><li><strong>Crop Substitution.</strong> A phased-in plan with community involvement that will create socio-economic stabilization and create new income opportunities. Agreements will be made with whole communities, not individual growers. Once a community has agreed to crop substitution, voluntary coca eradication will begin. If there is no agreement to eradicate, the government will do it manually, by force.</li><li><strong>Interdiction</strong>. Interdiction will continue, but in concert with the priorities of local communities and farmers. The plan also envisions &quot;strengthening the legal tools available to fight the illegal drug business.&quot;</li><li><strong>Investigations and Prosecutions.</strong> The government will give top priority to going after &quot;intermediate and top links of the drug trafficking chain,&quot; not peasant farmers.</li><li><strong>Prevention and Treatment.</strong> The new plan will emphasize youth prevention, as well as drug treatment using &quot;programs founded on evidence.&quot; The plan calls for an increase in the quantity and quality of drug treatment offered.</li><li><strong>Institutional Reforms</strong>. The plan will create a new agency for alternative development in illicit cultivation zones. The agency will establish metrics for success, which will be made public on a regular basis.</li></ol><p>The government&#39;s plan is in line with the recommendations of its Advisory Commission on Drug Policy in Colombia, which in a <a href="http://www.odc.gov.co/Portals/1/comision_asesora/docs/informe_final_comision_asesora_politica_drogas_colombia.pdf" target="_blank">May report</a>, called for drug policy to be based on evidence and the principles of public health, harm reduction and human rights, with effective state institutions to coordinate policy implementation. Combating the drug trade should focus on trafficking organizations and money laundering, and peasant coca growers should be offered alternative development, not criminal prosecution, the report also recommended. (The report and the issues it addressed were recently discussed at this <a>http://www.brookings.edu/events/2015/09/21-colombian-antidrug-policies-a...</a>. " target="_blank"&gt;Brookings Institution event.)</p><p>[image:2 align:right caption:true]&quot;With this program we hope to have a twofold result: reducing the illicit cultivation and improving the living conditions of hundreds of thousands of peasants,&quot; Santos said in <a href="http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2015/09/22/colombia-santos-announces-new-anti-drug-plan/" target="_blank">a speech</a> from the presidential palace.</p><p>The plan will focus on the southern provinces of Narino and Putumayo, &quot;where there are some 26,000 families that produce coca,&quot; Santos said. &quot;Work will be done to construct roads, schools, health clinics, aqueducts and service networks,&quot; he added, noting that coca cultivation is most extensive in areas where the state is weakest.</p><p>While the government will seek agreements with communities to voluntarily eradicate their coca crops, &quot;if an agreement is not reached, forced eradication will be resorted to,&quot; Santos warned. Forced eradication has led to conflict between farmers and eradicators in the past, with nearly <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/colombia-takes-u-turn-on-drug-policy-1431650471" target="_blank">200 eradicators killed</a> in attacks from unhappy peasants or guerrillas of the FARC, which has taxed and protected coca cultivation in areas under its control.</p><p>When Santos arrived in Havana Wednesday he was sounding optimistic, both about the new approach to coca cultivation and about the prospects for peace.</p><p>&quot;We&#39;ve already started. And if we can move forward now, imagine how much we could move forward if we do away with the conflict,&quot; said Santos. &quot;We&#39;ve already talked with the FARC about joint plans for the substitution of crops. Imagine what this means. That the FARC, instead of defending illicit crops and the entire drug trafficking chain, will help the state in their eradication. As the slogan says, with peace we will do more,&quot; Santos said.</p> </div>
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http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2015/sep/23/peace_negotiations_advance_colom#commentsAddiction TreatmentAndean Drug WarCivil ConflictCocaCocaineDrug Trade Funding TerroristsEradicationInterdictionNews FeaturePolitics Outside USPublic HealthWed, 23 Sep 2015 22:04:17 +0000psmith31642 at http://stopthedrugwar.org